eLegal Tech News is a member-only newsletter that offers a grouping of insightful articles related to technology and its advancements. Articles in the eLegal Tech News newsletter are intended to help lawyers understand technical issues that might affect their clients or their law practice.

Feinstein Accuses Spooks of Spying on SenateA powerful U.S. senator has accused the CIA of spying on a network drive legislative staffers used to prepare a report on abuses--including torture--in the agency's detention and interrogation program. The search may have violated not only the separation of powers clause of the U.S. Constitution, but also the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable search and seizures, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and an executive order barring the CIA from conducting domestic searches and surveillance, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., told the Senate on Tuesday.
Read more >>

Web Founder Berners-Lee Calls for Online 'Magna Carta' to Protect UsersThe inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, called on Wednesday for bill of rights to protect freedom of speech on the Internet and users' rights after leaks about government surveillance of online activity.
Read more >>

Can Police Search your Phone on Arrest? Groups Urge Supreme Court to Say "No"Ever since the US Supreme Court announced in mid-January that it agreed to hear two companion cases involving warrantless searches and seizures of cell phones, the privacy world has been abuzz. Yesterday, several prominent privacy groups filed briefs telling the court why it should stop cops from making easy, no-warrant phone searches.
Read more >>

2013: A Perilous Year on the InternetSurfing the Internet last year was a dangerous proposition, and it isn't getting any safer. On average, 200 samples of malicious software were collected every minute by McAfee Labs, the company reported Monday in its threat report for the last quarter of 2013. All kinds of Internet nastiness increased last year--from ransomware and suspicious URLs to bogus digital certificates, master boot record attacks, and poisoned mobile apps, the firm said.
Read more >>

The Increasing Business Risk of Cloud CyberattacksIt is hard to figure out which is growing at a faster pace--movement to the cloud or cybercrime. Cybercrime is following the data to the cloud, according to reports, to find and steal cloud data of hotel records, credit card information, and maybe even corporate secrets and the client files of lawyers.
Read more >>

The 5 Key Factors of Website SuccessWhat are the key website success factors? Commonly accepted factors include the following five: brand or name recognition, access to unique resources, customer loyalty, financial resources, and access to distribution channels.
Read more >>

The Seven Deadly Sins of Opening a New Solo Law PracticeWhat are the seven deadly sins of opening a solo law practice? Jim Calloway of the Oklahoma Bar outlines what he believes to be the deadliest solo-practice "sins": no clients; too much overhead; taking on work you cannot do or support; not paying enough attention to finances and financial reports; failing to focus on technology; failing to focus on limited practice areas; and failure to build client-friendly systems.
Read more >>

10 Questions to Ask Before Allowing Employees to TelecommuteMore than ever, people are opting out of clocking in at the office and are working from their own turf instead. One in five workers across the globe telecommute from outside the workplace, many of them from the comfort of their homes, according to a recent Ipsos poll for Reuters.
Read more >>

Women Dominate Every Social Media Network--Except One (Infographic)A greater percentage of adult U.S. women use Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter than their male counterparts. The one social network that boasts more men is the professional-networking site LinkedIn.
Read more >>

Social Media has Trade-offs for LawyersAn old but thought-provoking Internet adage is: "If you aren't paying for the product, you are the product." So we might be getting benefits from free social media or other cloud services, but we are simultaneously giving up some privacy or providing other information in return. It's up to each of us to determine whether the trade-off is worth it.
Read more >>

Microsoft is Ending XP Support in April; Windows 7 and 8 AwaitIt's a day PC users always knew would be coming: On April 8, all Microsoft support for the Windows XP operating system ends, leaving XP users vulnerable to new security breaches. "We are advising our clients to move away from XP," says Peter Coons, senior vice president at D4, an e-discovery and computer security firm headquartered in Rochester, N.Y.
Read more >>

Google Plus Hangouts - The New Legal InterfaceIf the number one complaint clients have against attorneys is a lack of communication, it is heartening to see that many attorneys are reaching out to clients in more ways. The increased use of Google+ Hangouts appears to be one of the ways attorneys are making themselves more available to their clients. The capabilities of Hangouts as they exist now make it a powerful tool for tracking attorney-client interaction and should be taken advantage of.
Read more >>

How to Accept Credit Cards on Your Mobile DeviceFor a briefing on how to accept credit card payments from your clients via Smartphones and tablets, click here to read about the limitations, options and security of this new technology. You'll also find articles provided by State Bar Member Discount Provider LawPay about the rules and regulations of accepting credit card payments from clients.
Read more >>

eLegal Tech News: Keeping you informed of technological progress in the legal profession.